The Ramen that Started it All
by Alois21
Summary: When Naruto and Hinata are forced to share a bowl of ramen, an a la Lady and the Tramp ending is definitely in order. Too bad an overprotective cousin doesn't find this too peachy. NaruHina. NejiTen. Rewritten. Fluff and lime, shamelessly dished out in one silver platter.


**First attempt at something completely fluffy and sickeningly sweet; be nice, or I'll shove candies up your—mouths for you to savor and feel the overwhelming sweetness I hope to incorporate in this story. ;D This is nothing but a recycled and improved story. If you've read the first one, lucky for you. Not. **

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**Disclaimer: ****Masashi Kishimoto pretty much owns everything mentioned in this fan-fiction's universe.**

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There was something that would always beckon him home no matter what. And it would be, by no means, an exaggeration to state that on certain, dire, matter-of-life-and-death occurrences, it was the one thing that kept him going; one thing that alit his desire to live and to return home. Everyone knew that if he could, Naruto would marry the cozy ramen stall situated in the bustling heart of the Hidden Leaf Village. Then it would be named Ichiraku-Uzumaki Ramen… Oh, how elated Naruto gets with the mere thought of it.

He skirted past the busier rows of traffic, opting to weave in and out of the throng that were idling in the sidelines. It was easier to maneuver that way, without having to resort to chakra-fueled escapades on the roof. _Wait… that sounded so wrong_. Naruto stifled a chortle, the thought playing on his mind tauntingly. His grin was wide, but the lack of apparent reason for such grin to be etched on his face to begin with unfazed no one; most of them far too used to care, others too engrossed in their own business to notice.

In a few minutes, Naruto finally came upon the homespun edifice he had not seen in a long while—perhaps edifice was too much of a word. Naruto preferred to call it _home_. It was indeed the first place he'd crash as soon as he steps on Konoha grounds, after a long and grueling mission—such as the one he had just hailed from, barely making it back alive. A-ranks were definitely not to be taken lightly.

Naruto seated on his usual spot; the one most patrons refrain from taking, knowing who typically occupied it. He grinned broadly at the old man walking to and fro the counter, tending to customers and disappearing back into the kitchen, reappearing with his arms loaded with bowls and bowls of glorious noodles. Naruto reached for a pair of chopsticks, and childishly slammed his fists on the table, "One chicken ramen please, Old Man!" He called out excitedly. The old man chuckled, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Naruto-kun! Welcome back!" Naruto nodded, his mind drifting elsewhere, to where such delicious, delicious scent was emanating; from the mere scent alone, his insides were tingling, his stomach growling even further, and his salivary glands only serving to increase his hunger. The loud growl elicited a chuckle from the man before him, who went back into the kitchen to serve Naruto his usual.

"Good morning, N-Naruto-kun. Welcome back." A soft voice called from behind Naruto. In an instant, he spun on his swivel chair, a foxy grin in tact. He jabbed a playful thumbs-up at the newcomer, and returned her pleasantries.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan! Dattebayo!" His sharp senses noticed the very, very subtle flicker of Hinata's eyes towards the vacant chair next to Naruto, and the blond immediately understood, surprisingly quick on the uptake. He slapped the empty spot next to him and beckoned for the heiress to join him, "Wanna join me for some ramen, Hinata-chan? These things taste better when you're with your friends, you know?" His smile and his tone softened, almost abashed, and he looked away as his last words were uttered.

Hinata's face flamed in embarrassment and ecstasy. She nodded profusely, the blood rushing upwards, making her lightheaded. She hobbled the slightest bit towards the seat, and Naruto stood on alert, ready to catch her should she trip. But Hinata made it to her chair safe and sound, and Naruto retreated, awkwardly swiveling back to face the counter once again.

"Ah, Hyuga-san, welcome! What would you like to have?" Ayame wiped her hands on her apron as Hinata briefly glanced up, quickly skimming through the menu, and made her order.

"I'd like some chicken ramen please, Ayame-san" the girl nodded politely, and disappeared into the kitchen. Hinata glanced at Naruto furtively, a thick blush forever coating her cheeks. As soon as he felt her gaze on him, Naruto craned his neck to meet it, almost on impulse. Hinata quickly averted her gaze, silently thanking her inhumane speed. _That was close_. Her heart beat erratically in her chest, her hands clammy, and her forehead breaking into cold sweat. She took quick, calming breaths.

Naruto pretended he saw none of that. He instead focused on the utensils laying innocently before him. They never looked more interesting in his life. So innocent… so interesting… So adorable… so pure… so…. _loveable…_

… like Hinata!

"AH SHIT!" Naruto exclaimed, getting on his feet, as he reeled from the sudden, brash train of thoughts. Hinata jumped out of her skin, her hand instinctively flying to her weapon pocket. On impulse, she was on her fighting stance, ready to skewer whatever intruder was lurking nearby.

A deafening crash of glass snapped her out of her battle-hungry trance. Dropping the weapons back into her pouch, Hinata turned just in time to see Ayame on her knees, mumbling strings of curses under her breath, as she carefully picked the broken pieces of what Hinata could only assume was supposed to be Naruto's bowl. Said blond was just as dazed as the heiress was, and was only snapped back into his senses by the crash. He jumped over the counter and quickly assisted the older girl. Hinata observed quietly, a queer feeling bubbling in her stomach.

"Oh my god, Ayame-chan, I'm so, _so _sorry!" Naruto spewed his apologies, like a tapped on faucet releasing streams of obviously sincere "sorry"s and "How do I make it up to you"s. He was quick to pick up shards, but careful not to graze himself. Years of being a shinobi has honed his hands to handle sharp objects perfectly. He collected the larger pieces as Ayame grabbed a broom from the cupboard nearby, sweeping away what little remains of the bowl.

"It's no problem, Naruto-kun," she gently ushered Naruto out of the counter. He leaped over it, as he had done before, and nimbly landed on his feet. He was still apologizing. "It's really nothing, Naruto-kun. It was just—" the girl suddenly stopped. Then a look of contemplation dawned upon her features, as she stowed the broom away. "Unfortunately… that was the last good bowl left." Ayame said, her tone rather foreboding. Then she turned towards the teens, her expression apologetic, but her eyes glinting with mischief. "Because business had been really, _really _fast today, Tou-chan and I are struggling a little with the dishes. Since one of the last of 'em broke, and the rest are all dirty…" she broke out into a full, Cheshire grin "You wouldn't mind sharing a bowl with Hyuga-san, _would you_? Well, you _did_ order the _same_ thing, after all; almost as if it's _fate_."

The look on her face was golden. But Naruto's expression was priceless. There was too much implication on her sentence; he didn't know which to process first. For starters, that tone she used meant there was no other way around her. You do as she says, or you get kicked out of the restaurant. No buts and no compromise. It then led to the second thing: sharing a ramen bowl with Hinata. There was no big deal about it, oh sure. Except Naruto had recently watched this movie called _The Lady and the Tramp _during his last mission in the Sound, and this situation was somewhat shaping up to be so eerily close to the infamous spaghetti scene.

Cut Naruto some slack. He was 17, for God's sake. The guy developed a brain cell or two. And to begin with, he wasn't as dense as most people take him for. He was just, well, the guy who kept things to himself too—even if he looked far from it. Anyway, Naruto had reasons.

As for Hinata? She was on the verge of fainting. In the years she outgrew her habit of incessant stuttering and excessive fidgeting, it seemed all her mannerisms were coming back to her now tenfold, and socking her so hard she felt like collapsing. The blood was coursing at an unhealthy rate to her brain, and it wasn't just making her feel lightheaded; she was close to nauseous at this point. Her ever-increasing heartbeat wasn't helping at all. She feebly groped for the countertop, using it as leverage as she shakily stood up. Naruto observed her.

"I—I…" she gulped down, "I really don't… w-w-want to be o-of… i-i-inconvenience to a-anyone… T-this is… I… uuhhh… I—I'll be t-taking my leave n-now. N-Naa-Naaa—… err… Naruto-kun, enjoy your ramen!" Hinata broke into a full sprint, but before she could propel herself further away from the ramen stall, from the current situation she was in, she felt a warm, but vice-like grip on her wrist, effectively ceasing her attempts at taking flight. Barely being able to make sense of what was going on, she absently stared at the hand holding her in place, then to the blond boy blushing furiously to the roots of his hair, to whom it belonged to.

Well at least she wasn't the only one who felt so, so awkward about this.

"We could… uh… we could share…" Naruto smiled softly, and despite his ramrod physique, his clammy hands, and his almost trembling voice, he managed one more sweet smile at the nervous heiress, and like magic, she felt her nerves calm down, no longer was she on her wit's end. She sat down obligingly, like a lost little lamb. _And_, Naruto grimly noted, _completely inside the wolf's den. Shit. Just shit. _

The ramen arrived, as if on cue, and Ayame settled it in between the teens. An impish grin was still splayed on her lips. She ten bade them goodbye, mumbling something about cleaning dishes, and, along those lines, it could have just been them, but Naruto and Hinata swore they heard _young love _as well. Well, Ayame wasn't too old herself! She shouldn't be talking. Or so Naruto attempted to distract himself. It was a problem when Hinata was sitting so close to him, with barely a hairline separating them—okay, it was definitely an exaggeration. But he was hypersensitive of her presence now. They weren't even making any physical contact, yet the parts of him nearest hers felt like they were aflame now. He wasn't even sure which was hotter; the scalding ramen he was consuming at a rapid face, or his burning skin. Was he coming down with a fever?

Hinata, on the other hand, was really just too distracted; too out of it to care. She was long gone; semi-conscious, and only acting on impulse. She sipped her ramen robotically, her mind having shut down on its own to protect their poor, poor owner. Her eating pattern, albeit mechanical, was still graceful, and Naruto had to keep himself from inhaling the ramen, out of respect (or embarrassment) for the high-level etiquette his partner was displaying.

Partner… Hinata… partner… friend… girl… girlfriend—ah shit, not again! He was _not _about to give anyone a heart attack again. Himself included. In retaliation to his thoughts now spiraling out of control, Naruto stuffed a mouthful, intent on burning his mouth to divert his attention. One mouthful, then another, then another—

-then a tug.

Tug.

Tug.

Tug.

The hell? Why was this ramen resisting him?

Suddenly glad for the distraction, and of the challenge that presented itself before him, Naruto forcefully sipped on the ramen, intent on getting to the end of the noodle, regardless of the consequence. He will conquer this damn noodle!

And conquer it he did.

Although as soon as the end of his noodle was in sight, so was the flustered face of one shocked Hinata Hyuga, making a beeline towards his. His first instinct was to pull back, to retreat before he hurts either of them. But the ramen almost literally glued him to his spot. So he had no choice but to remain still, and in a split second of pure impulse, he turned his head ever so slightly. At the back of his mind, the rational part of his brain (however little it was) screamed that this was merely reflex action; to cushion the impending blow. The lovesick part of it was just partying and cheering like a monkey, going all bananas on the sudden turn of events. And this lovesick part was a party animal; its screaming thundering in Naruto's ears: _kiss her, kiss her, KISS HER! _

Hinata was, as before, just too out of it to do anything.

And suddenly, the blow he anticipated to be a painful collision of their foreheads turned to be a really, really soft yet somewhat forceful contact of his lips against hers, smashing them together, as if a godly force was holding the back of their heads together. He couldn't move; she couldn't either. Then it was all purely instinct now. They didn't even notice anything else; the background dimmed into soft murmurs of incoherency. They couldn't make out anything apart from where their bodies touched; each point of contact, a blazing inferno.

_And her lips! Oh shit. Oh shit. Ohshitohshitohshit. _Naruto's eyes slowly fluttered close, his hands, tentative at first, snaked behind her waist, and on her nape, firmly holding her in place. Hinata herself was responding to his advances; placing both hands on his hair, massaging it or rustling it, he was too out of it to care. And it felt so damn _good_. Never in his 17 years had he imagined this blissful encounter would ever come. _Sure_, Naruto had his fair share of not-so-innocent dreams. But when the sweetest, purest, most innocent, and most _heartfelt _of them was coming true, right here, right now, Naruto could've died a happy camper—heck, an _ecstatic _camper at that.

"That's my student! Go for it, Naruto!" Jiraiya cheered, a mob gathering around him. Unbeknownst to the lip-locking couple, between the commotion Naruto caused and their surprise kiss, an audience had gathered to witness everything, and lived to tell the tale; that at long last, their village's loudest and most obnoxious idiot, finally found his match in the form of the most quiet and shyest heiress around.

Ah, indeed, love moves in mysterious ways.

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"What the _fuck _does he think he's doing?"

She rarely heard him cuss. He was usually the levelheaded in their group; the silent, brooding type who never pried in other's business. To hear him so close to blowing his cap, she wanted nothing more than to make a run for it, and possibly drop by the straight-out-of-a-soap-opera event unfolding just a few feet away from them. You couldn't blame her. As tomboyish as she may be, she was still a sucker for a good, cheesy romance.

With an uneasy flick of her wrist, she tried to wave it off; to placate him the slightest. But the deathly aura he continued to emit without falter only proved how futile her attempts were. She sighed resignedly, and flopped ungracefully on the cold metal surface of the roof they were currently perched on. She leaned back, stretching like a cat, lying on her back with her arms as cushion. "Loosen up, Neji. We both know it was bound to happen sooner or later." She mumbled languidly.

"In public, of all places? In the _heart of Konoha, of all places_?" he responded tersely.

"Better we see for ourselves just how far they're taking it, than they go overboard in places we have no idea where." Tenten whispered, a lopsided grin on her lips. Neji's head whipped to the side, glaring at his teammate.

"_What_?" He demanded crossly, daring the Weapon Mistress to reiterate her sentence. Tenten sat up, raising her arms in mock surrender.

"I didn't say anything." And she normally wouldn't _have_. But there was something about the situation they were in that made Tenten just _want _to push all of Neji's buttons. She just couldn't place her finger on it—oh wait, she _could_. "Lighten up, Hyuga. You're just jealous of Naruto 'cause the guy _ain't_ afraid to show what he's got in publi—!"

Tenten's breath got caught in her throat, as her eyes met the predatory glare of her teammate. He snarled; a deep glower etched on his face. He _slithered_ seductively on top her, his grip on her wrists firm, securing them against the cold metal beneath her. His legs were in between hers, his chest slowly, almost teasingly pressing against hers, his breath fanning across her face, a minty scent invading her senses. Tenten's face was aflame, her ears red hot. She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail.

"What if I just prefer, privacy, _Tenten_? You ever thought of that, huh, _Tenten_?" her name rolled out of his tongue like the sweetest and most scrumptious delicacy it ever came upon. His tone sent pleasurable tingles down her spine, tickling her every being with each breath he took. She panted harder as the blood rushed even faster into her brain, making her so, so lightheaded. She thought she was losing it. But when he suddenly, so painfully slowly ground his hips against hers, Tenten exploded into a whole new wave of euphoria.

_Fucking hell. Fuckfuckfuck. Ohfuck._

"N-Neji!" She gasped, her tone breathless and needy. "We're on a _roof_! What if someone sees?"

"Whatever happened to _ain't afraid to show what he's got in public, _Tenten?" Neji whispered, amusement coloring his tone. Tenten thrashed even more, to which Neji responded by pressing her body closer against his. The _kunoichi _opened her mouth to retaliate, to release a string of profanities and to curse him for his sudden brashness. Instead, he sealed his lips against hers, immediately delving for the opportunity she literally opened up for him. With skills, he darted his mouth inside hers, without any hesitation, exploring every crevice of her warm caverns. She moaned in response, the sound sending nothing but green lights to the Hyuga prodigy.

They were on a roof, having dry sex.

Ha! What did Naruto's innocent kissing scene stand against _that_?

Well, Neji had to admit he had the upper hand in this so-called "contest", because he _had _been dating Tenten for two years now, and they _had _done a lot things way past innocent, but he had never once done them in public. Not one peck, not one hug; no PDAs. So he liked to think of this as finally letting loose after years of holding back. Whether or not someone even sees them (like for example, the owner of the house whose roof they were currently making out on), Neji was too hot and bothered to bat a lash. Tenten did not fair much either.

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Naruto broke away from Hinata, his eyes still dazed, his being still in a trance. He did not let go of her, opting instead to softly place his forehead against hers. His smile was small, yet enough to convey the overflowing emotions he was feeling right now. His heart was violently somersaulting in his ribcage, and the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering infinitesimally like never before.

And then, like it was the most natural thing to do, like all these years had all been preparing him for this moment, like there was no other time than now, he whispered, so softly that if it hadn't been for her inhumane senses, she would not have caught on. But she did. She heard him. And tears welled up in her eyes as it all came down on her, finally registering in her mind. And she nodded so vigorously, she was beginning to feel lightheaded again. Then as he began to worry he might have screwed up so epically once again, she mumbled it once, twice, then she continued to say it an almost incoherent jumble of words. But he understood. He heard her the first time, and hearing her say it again—over and over again—had his pride blooming in astronomical proportions.

"_I love you, Hinata-chan. Always had, always will. I know this seems too hard to believe, but trust me, for the longest time, I have loved you too. I love you, Hinata Hyuga. I love you._"

"_I love you too, Naruto-kun. I love you too. I love you too. I love you too. Yes, oh god, I love you too._"

Then like magic, the spell that shielded them away from the world suddenly broke, and they could hear the wild cheering of the crowd that had somewhat gathered around them, the "congratulations" ringing in the air. Naruto grinned shyly, and intertwined his fingers with Hinata. He faced the crowd, a thick blush adorning his cheeks, and he waved at them. The audience went ballistic. They rushed to pat him and to shake Hinata's hand, offering their utmost congratulations and "It's about damn time".

"Uzumaki." Like the sharpest blade, the cold, authoritative voice pierced through the warmhearted ambience, blanketing nearly everyone with an ice-cold atmosphere. It would be no joke to say the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Neji stepped forward, his gaze hard, and his expression firm. His lips pursued a thin line as he advanced towards the couple. Instinctively, Naruto snaked his arm behind Hinata's shoulders, holding her closer to him. Neji merely raised a brow at this, opening his mouth to retort. "I—"

"Neji, stop being an asshole!" A forceful bonk against his cranium nearly knocked the daylights out of Neji, as Tenten stepped from behind him. She grinned widely and leaped towards Naruto and Hinata. Instantly, the ice around them thawed, and they were once again enveloped by the warm atmosphere. The passersby did not risk another encounter with the Ice Prince himself. Most of them opted to whistle innocently, briskly walking away. Another chilly glare from Neji sent what little was left of the crowd, scampering away in fear. "Oh you guys, I'm so proud of you! _Waaaahhh_! This really took you forever, but better late than never!" Tenten grasped their intertwined hands, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Oh man, I'm so happy for you two! Now don't go doing anything naughty yet, you hear me? You're still not of legal age and—"

"Tenten, cut them some slack." Neji cut in fluidly, nonchalantly placing his arm on Tenten's shoulders. The kunoichi blushed but did not shrug it off. Another audience (albeit more subtle at observing this time) gathered around them, double-taking at the sudden public display of affection from the Hyuga prodigy. "Uzumaki, I trust you and you are my friend. But so help me, if you dare make Hinata-sama so much as frown, I will plummet you and skewer you and use your husk for target practice. You understand?"

Naruto could only nod in fear. His ANBU captain was not to be taken lightly. Neji smirked in satisfaction, pulling Tenten away with him. Before he disappeared into the next block, he looked back, a stoic expression on his face once again.

"And you better not do anything weird, Uzumaki. Not until you're legal, anyway." He smirked suddenly, "Like me." He added, almost as an afterthought. As the couple walked away, yet another round of applause exploded. Two couples in one day! This is going to be the talk of the _century_!

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**The end! Man, that was lame.**

**And the inner pervert in me couldn't resist it. She **_**had **_**to come out. She **_**had **_**to taint this fic one way or another. Thus, the oh-so evident smut. But oh, rooftops—kinky! ;D LOL. Tell me what you think about this, fellas! **


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